Brian Austin Green's 'Desperate' Dread of Shirtless Scenes

When 'Desperate Housewives' returns to ABC tonight (9 p.m. ET) after last season's cliffhanger -- the shooting of nasty Wisteria Lane neighbor Paul Young -- loads of drama and comedy will be on tap (including a rare appearance this season by 'Dallas' icon Larry Hagman!).

Guest star Brian Austin Green, 37, returns to the hit dramedy series after a busy year: most notably, he made headlines in 2010 with his marriage to 'Transformers' beauty Megan Fox, 24. In advance of the 'Housewives' season premiere, the 'Beverly Hills 90210' alum spoke to TVSquad about what's ahead in 2011 for the cougar romance between Bree (Marcia Cross) and Keith, exercising his comedic muscles on the show, and how he once dreaded his shirtless scenes as the hunky neighborhood handyman.

Hey, Brian. Thanks for chatting today, and congrats on your 'Housewives' role.
Thank you....I love working on the show, and the character's great, and Marcia [Cross] is fantastic, and I can't complain. I'm a lucky man right now.

What did you think when you heard your character was going to be the neighborhood hunk?
I was dreading that.

Really?
Yeah. I was. I was dreading it. It's just....I've just never played anyone labeled as a hunk in anything. I've always been kind of the lankier guy. And a lot of pressure comes with [playing the hunk].

Did you step up your exercise routine before filming?
I did. I just added a routine before I shoot. You know, you have to. When you're sitting around and there's nothing but a craft-service table around you, it's a good idea every once in a while to throw in some pushups or some sit-ups, just to keep it fresh.

Many of your TV roles have been in dramas, sometimes really intense dramas. Are you enjoying the lighter scenes on 'DH'?
I am! There aren't many shows that have such an equal balance of comedy and drama....You know, to play both sides within one scene and have it be funny and dramatic at the same time... It's kind of a muscle that you don't normally get to use. But it's there. It exists. I mean, think about it, sometimes the funniest or craziest stories come out of really traumatic, terrible events. And they know how to create those on ['Housewives']. Marc Cherry is a genius when it comes to this type of show.

Has it made you want to pursue more comedic roles in the future?
I have to say, doing as much drama as I've done, coming off of the last show that I did that was so dramatic ('Smallville'), it definitely makes for an easier day. It's fun to kind of leave the set laughing, and thinking, 'Yeah, that was fun, that worked well. I'm glad we did that.' You don't really get that much in drama. I did one season of a sitcom ('Freddie,' starring Freddie Prinze Jr.), and that was a huge turning point for me. I think a lot of people think that they're funny, but it's not until you're on something really trying to be funny where you know if it works for you or not. So it was fun for me coming off something and feeling like, 'Yeah, comedy ... I think it works.' I think the instincts I have make sense and play well. It just opens a whole new door.

I have the least amount of comedy experience, though. I can't really take much comedy credit on this show. I mean, Marcia's so funny and Bree is such a well-sculpted character. You can kind of stick her in the room with anybody, and the scene just becomes funny.

So what's next for Keith and Bree? There was a brief breakup, but will they be together when we see them next?
Well, Bree and Keith are toughing it out, which is amazing. I never thought the relationship would work as well as it does. For them, it's a real relationship, and there's definitely more fun, bumpy roads ahead. Kyle MacLachlan comes back for an episode, so we have a bit of Orson mixed in with Bree and Keith, which is insane -- possibly the most fun episode I've done so far. You get the three of them in a room together, and they they couldn't be more different. Bree being in the middle of who she was, and who she's sort of become. Definitely enjoyable.